


Whatever Happens

by SatanicAngel94



Category: Ultimate Force (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-12 13:56:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15341304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SatanicAngel94/pseuds/SatanicAngel94
Summary: Weapons have been going missing from Catterick Garrison, causing Caroline and Jem to go undercover as a recently married couple. However, during the course of the operation, the lines between undercover and reality began to blur. As the pair get entangled in the gang, the stakes are upped. Especially when they end up being under 24hr surveillance from their own and the group they are targeting.





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**  
  
“Briefing room now!” Henno Garvie shouted at his team, who were currently sat in the mess hall playing some card game, “And someone get Caroline.”  
  
“I’ll do it.” Pete said as he got up from the table. He placed his cards down on the table and walked out of the mess hall in search of Caroline.  
  
The guys all dropped their cards and hurriedly got up and followed Henno, who was walking out of the hall at a brisk pace.  
  
“Anything interesting?” Alex asked Henno as they all walked out of the mess hall and towards the building where the briefing was to take place.  
  
“We’ll find out in a minute.” Was Henno’s sharp reply, he had yet to be briefed on the situation, something he wasn’t keen on.  
  
Alex just nodded and shared a look with the rest of the team. Something was going on and they were eager to find out as to what it was.  
  
They walked into the briefing room where Dempsey, Dotsy and an unknown man were stood waiting. The team took their seats and the room went silent, a slight tension in the air as they waited. That silence was soon broken by the sound of footfalls heading towards the room. The door opened and in walked Pete with Caroline in tow.  
  
“Sorry we are late, sir.” Caroline said, “I was dealing with a problem with one of our suppliers.”  
  
Dempsey nodded and motioned for them to join the rest of the team.  
  
Pete sat next to Henno, and Caroline sat at the nearest available desk, next to Jem and Ricky.   
  
“This is Mr Jones from the Home Office.” Dempsey said, introducing the mysterious man.  
  
“Morning all, we have a rather delicate situation going on at the moment. It has been noticed that recently there has been an increase in military grade weapons going missing from bases and ending up in the hands of criminal gangs both here in the UK and abroad.”  
  
“Nothing new there.” Pete muttered.  
  
“True,” Jones continued, “However, a large number of them have been traced back to Catterick Garrison. We believe that there may be a group of soldiers stealing weapons and selling them on the black market. Unfortunately, we have been unable to produce any tangible leads and don’t want to start a full blown investigation as we may lose the culprits. The government want this dealt with as quietly as possible, preferably to save face, which is where you come in.”  
  
“So what’s the plan?” Henno asked, curious as to what they were expected to do.  
  
“Undercover work?” Jem piped up from the back, his eyes twinkling with hope. As long as he didn’t get passed over on the job again.  
  
Dempsey nodded, “As Jem said, this is an undercover operation. Jem and Caroline will be going undercover as a themselves,”  
  
“YES!” Jem hissed excitedly, professionalism going out of the window for a second.  
  
Caroline raised an eyebrow at this, “As ourselves?” She interrupted.  
  
“Yes Caroline, as yourselves but with a few differences. You and Jem are recently married.”  
  
“That’d never happen.” Ricky mumbled, causing a chuckle from the guys, bar Jem who stuck his middle finger up at his best friend.  
  
“Caroline, you’ll be working at Sagittarius as an intelligence officer. Before you ask, it has been cleared with the owner. Basically, you were forced to resign or give up any chance of a promotion due the fact you were found to be romantically involved with Jem. Jem you are to be RTU’d for your part in the relationship, which means you will be returned to the Green Howards, based now out of Catterick Garrison.” Dempsey continued, as if he hadn’t been interrupted.  
  
“So we are being sacked?” Caroline exclaimed, not happy at this. Jem looked just as put out as she did.  
  
“Temporarily, once the operation is over then you will both be reinstated.” Dempsey replied, “This is the most credible cover story that we could come up with. It will also be airtight should the group do any checking.”  
  
“So, while I am stuck married to Jem in Yorkshire,” Caroline glared at Jem, who smiled cheekily her way, before continuing, “What will that lot be doing?”  
  
“Surveillance and backup, should backup be required.” Dotsy responded, “We have sorted you out a house in Richmond, just off base. It has been fully fitted with cameras and microphones in every room. You are expected to behave like a newly married couple at all times.”  
  
“And that means at ALL times.” Dempsey reiterated.  
  
Caroline let out a groan, “Luckily I’ve had a lot of practice at faking it.” She mumbled before realising what she had said, especially when the team started laughing, “I meant going undercover, you bunch of pervs.”  
  
“Sure that’s what you meant.” Alex jabbed back, causing Caroline to give him the finger.  
  
“Can we get back to it?” Dempsey snapped. He reached onto the desk behind him and grabbed a bag.  
  
He reached into the bag and pulled out two ring boxes which he handed to Caroline.  
  
“Caroline, your ‘engagement’ ring contains a tracking device as does Jem’s wedding ring, these are to be worn at ALL times.”  
  
Jem reached across and grabbed one of the boxes, which contained Caroline’s rings. He began examining them, trying to figure out how there was a tracking device in it.  
  
“Hold up one second, if they have to behave like a couple at all times, does that include at home also?” Jamie asked, staying silent until now.  
  
“Yes, in case you end up under surveillance from the group.” Dotsy replied, “That means sleeping in the same bed also.”  
  
Caroline scowled at Jem, “You better not snore, Jeremy.”   
  
“You better not steal the covers, _princess_.” Jem shot back playfully, “And don’t call me that.”  
  
“I’m your _wife_ I can call you what I like, _sweetheart_.” Caroline replied with an equally playful manner.  
  
“We have all the necessary documents ready for you both including your marriage certificate which requires your signatures.” Dempsey spoke, “Caroline, we also have a new driving license and passport for you. A joint bank account has also been set up for the operation.”  
Dotsy handed Jem a folder, with all the documents that had just been spoken of, and a pen to sign anything that required a signature.  
  
“This afternoon, you are also required to have some ‘wedding’ photographs taken. It was a simple ceremony at the registry office with two witnesses. It’ll be easier than photoshopping them and creating an elaborate story. We will let you work out the finer details of your relationship by yourselves.” Dempsey added.  
  
“My mother is going to kill me that she wasn’t at my ‘wedding’.” Jem joked, “I think she’s almost given up on the idea of her son getting married.”  
  
“That is a point,” Caroline spoke up, “What the fuck am I meant to tell my parents when they find out that one, I got married without telling them, two, that it wasn’t in a church and finally, that I have been forced to quit?!”  
  
“Your parents are that set on a church wedding?” Alex asked, “I didn’t even know you were religious.”  
  
“I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when you tell them.” Dotsy jibed, he had met her parents once briefly, when she had been taking them out for dinner, and knew they would be quite upset and disappointed in their daughter.  
  
“You could tell them we thought that if we got married sooner rather than later then the army may not be as harsh when it came to punishing us for the relationship.” Jem suggested, “And that we had managed to get a cancellation at the registry office and there had been no time to explain to them about the whole situation.”  
  
Caroline looked at Jem and pondered the suggestion for a minute, “That may take the edge off a little bit but they are still going to be hurt that I never even told them about you, let alone the fact that they never got to be at our ‘wedding’.”  
  
“When are we due to go undercover?” Jem questioned.  
  
“Monday.” Dempsey replied, “You have just the weekend to get your story straight and get prepared.”  
  
“I guess we are going to have a ‘romantic’ weekend together, principessa.” Jem joked.  
  
“You know what a romantic weekend is? I thought you just fucked them and left before they woke up.” Caroline teased.  
  
“She got you there mate.” Alex noted, the guys laughing under their breath.  
  
“Low blow darling.” Jem sparred back, “When was the last time you dated seriously?”  
  
Caroline gave him a mutinous glare as if she was telling him to back off, he would have been slightly scared, were it not for the sheen of tears in her eyes.  
  
“Sorry.” He apologised, “I shouldn’t have gone there.”  
  
Caroline just looked away and tried to dispel the tears before anyone else noticed. Her last relationship had been quite some time back but the scars, caused by her ex, had yet to heal fully.   
  
Jem looked down at his hands, the atmosphere suddenly changing. He needed to break the tension. He began twisting Caroline’s rings between his fingers, a smile playing on his face. He got up from his chair and dramatically dropped down on one knee in front of Caroline. He held one of the rings between his thumb and forefinger, presenting it to her.  
  
“Caroline Walshe, will you marry me?” He proposed as the men in the room began chuckling.  
  
Caroline rolled her eyes, “It’s not like I have a choice in the matter.”   
  
“So is that a yes then?”   
  
“Yes, I will _marry_ you.” Caroline replied and held her left hand out.   
  
Jem slid the engagement ring onto her finger with a smile. He didn’t know why but it felt weird when he asked her that and especially when she gave her response. A nice weird though. He pushed the thought out of his head and stood back up.  
  
“Aren’t you meant to kiss now?” Dotsy jested.  
  
“I thought that happened after you _exchange_ rings.” Jamie joined in, “Which you ought to do.”  
  
Ricky stood up and cleared his throat, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” He began jokingly, a smirk on his face at the look on Caroline’s and Jem’s faces.  
  
“Caroline, do you take this man to be your unlawfully wedded husband?”   
  
Caroline almost burst out laughing, “I do.” She replied and slid the ring onto Jem’s finger.  
  
“And do you, Jeremy,” Ricky’s smirk increased at the glare Jem sent him, “take Caroline to be your unlawfully wedding wife?”  
  
“I do.” Jem agreed and slid the wedding ring onto Caroline’s finger, noting how perfectly natural it looked sitting there.  
  
“By the power vested in me by nobody and nothing, I now declare you husband and wife. Now, you _have_ to kiss the bride.” Ricky finished.  
  
“Go on then! Pete broke in, “Make us believe you two are married and in love.”  
  
“Yeah, go for it.” Alex dared.  
  
Henno rolled his eyes at the teams enthusiasm for this ‘wedding’.  
  
Jem looked at Caroline and he began to feel nervous. That never happened for him, especially not about kissing a woman.   
  
“I mean, we don’t…..” He trailed off.  
  
“It’s fine,” Caroline uttered, “If we can convince this lot, anything is possible.” And with that she pressed herself onto her tiptoes, draped her arms over his shoulders, and kissed a very shocked Jem.   
  
Jem's eyes widened in surprise briefly, the kiss was like nothing he had expected. It was soft, gentle, light, almost as if she was testing the waters, testing his reaction. He wrapped his arms around her waist before kissing her back. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to get lost in the sensations he was feeling whilst kissing her. He lightly traced his _wife’s_ lips with his tongue as he deepened the kiss. He could taste the waxy residue on her lips from the lipstick she was wearing and could smell the faint scent of the perfume that she wore.   
  
Caroline tightened her grip on him. Her head was spinning, she hadn’t expected to feel like this whilst kissing him. _It’s because it has been a while_ was her thought, _nothing else_. Definitely nothing else. She probed his lips with her tongue before slightly parting her own as their tongues intertwined in a dance.   
  
It felt like they had been kissing forever when the pulled apart, though it had only been for a short while. They let go of each other, breathing laboured and stared at each other. Eventually they turned to look at the others.  
  
The shock on the guys faces made Caroline almost smile.  
  
“Well, you said make it believable.” She said. 


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Okay, here is chapter 2. Here we introduce Laurel, Caroline’s best friend who is a captain from DET. She is also dating Dotsy after Caroline set them up a few months prior. She is being assigned to work with the troop on surveillance in Caroline’s ‘absence’. Also rule 1 is mentioned in series 2 episode 1 (when Jem confesses to Caroline that he loves her).**

 

Chapter 2

 

 

“This is hopeless.”

 

Caroline flung yet another dress on her bed and stormed over to her wardrobe. She had a ‘date’ with Jem in less than an hour and she still hadn’t found an outfit suitable to wear. She knew that he had managed to get reservations at a gorgeous, family run, Italian restaurant that she knew was incredibly popular, making getting reservations almost impossible. Jem hadn’t told her how he had managed to get them.

Her hair was in a sleek up-do and her make-up was slightly heavier than normal but still understated. A light smokey eye and nude lipstick.

 

“Why the fuck am I behaving like a nervous teenager on her first date?” She growled under her breath, searching through her closet. She pulled out dress after dress until she landed on a gorgeous green cocktail dress, fitting tight enough around the chest and waist to be alluring without being too tarty, before flowing from her hips to her knees, with a black lace overlay from her collarbone to just below her knees.

 

“What about this?” She asked Laurel, her friend, who was sat on the bed, sipping on a glass of white wine.

 

Laurel nodded with a grin, “It’s perfect.”

 

Caroline unzipped the zip on the back of dress and stepped into it, pulling it up herself before slipping her arms through the thick straps. She reached behind herself and zipped herself into the dress. She turned to look at Laurel with a nervous look on her face.

 

“Will I do?” She asked.

 

“You look amazing!” Laurel replied, her smile getting wider, “Jem won’t know what’s hit him.”

 

Caroline rolled her eyes. Laurel had been assigned to work with the troop whilst Caroline was indisposed. It felt nice to have her best friend watching her back again. Even if said best friend had decided to start ‘shipping’ Caroline and Jem. She knew that her friend meant well and wanted her to be happy but she didn’t need anymore confusion in regards to her feelings towards Jem. There had always been a slightly flirtatious nature to their ‘friendship’ but it had never gone any further. Neither of them had ever shown any interest in taking it further. Probably because neither of them dared to break rule number one.

 

Laurel jumped up off the bed and wandered over to Caroline’s wardrobe and began rifle through her shoe collection. She grabbed a pair of black stilettos and flung them onto the bed before heading over to the dressing table and began to search through her jewellery box for the perfect accessories. She pulled out a pearl necklace with matching earrings; simple, classic and elegant. After handing them over to Caroline, she flopped back onto the bed with a sigh.

 

“So, you and Dotsy got any plans for the weekend?” Caroline asked whilst fixing the necklace around her neck.

 

“Dinner out, though he hasn’t told me where yet, and sex. Lots of sex.” Laurel chuckled, “Bit like your plans tonight.”

 

“I AM NOT HAVING SEX WITH HIM TONIGHT!” Caroline exclaimed.

 

“But you don’t deny it will happen, eventually.” Laurel retorted, “I want all the details when it does happen.”

 

Caroline fixed the last earring into place and turned to face her friend with a bemused expression on her face, “Seriously?”

 

“Yeah. I forgot when you got laid last, so forgive me if I want to know all the intimate details.”

 

“Pervert.” Caroline laughed and grabbed a pillow from the bed, throwing it at her best friend.

 

“Whatever.” Laurel replied, as she caught the projectile heading her way.

 

Laurel studied her friend with a curious expression, “You really are nervous about this, aren’t you?”

 

Caroline sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at her hands, “It’s that obvious then.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Laurel paused, “Look it’ll be fine, you have done undercover work a billion times before.”

 

“It’s not the undercover work I am worried about, it’s the fact that the lines are already blurred by keeping our identities. It is easier to pretend to be someone else but to be yourself, especially with our brief of being together, is harder. How are we meant to go back to being ourselves afterwards when things inevitably end up changing?” Caroline ranted.

 

Laurel wrapped an arm around her best friend and pulled her into a hug.

 

“You don’t know things will change.” Laurel tried to reason.

 

“You know when I kissed him the other day, I think I felt something.” Caroline mumbled, “Could be nothing but I am terrified.”

 

“That what you felt may be _something_.” Laurel replied. She remembered the last time Caroline had allowed herself to fall for someone, it hadn’t ended well.

 

“Yeah, and remember how it turned out last time?” Caroline continued.

 

“Yes, but, Jem isn’t him,” Laurel spoke back, “From what I have been told by both you and Dotsy, Jem isn’t the type to break your heart.”

 

“That’s if he even feels the same,” Caroline sat back up, “Anyhow, Jem doesn’t do serious with anyone, which is why, if these feelings turn out to be something, he can never know.”

 

“Hey, give the guy some credit,” Laurel defended, ‘He might be able to do serious but like you, has reasons why he daren’t.”

 

Caroline looked at her friend quizzically and nodded, “Anyway, I need to finish getting ready and tidy up before I leave.”

 

“Yeah, especially if you bring him back here. Sex with a mountain of clothes on the bed is not fun.” Laurel joked.

 

Caroline rolled her eyes at Laurel and chuckled, her friend had a strange way of cheering her up. She picked up each of the dresses, that had been discarded on the bed, and hung them back up in the wardrobe. She continued to straighten the room out before chucking her phone, keys, purse and lipstick into her tiny handbag.

 

“Right, I’d best be off.” Laurel said, grabbing the empty wine glass and hauling herself off the bed. She quickly hugged her friend and wandered back downstairs, putting the glass in the kitchen and walking out of the front door.

 

Caroline walked downstairs and sat on the sofa, a book in her hand, waiting patiently for her date.

 

She managed to get through a couple of pages before a knock at the door startled her. She placed the bookmark back in the book and placed it back onto the coffee table.

 

She walked to the front door and grabbed her bag off the side table next to the door. She took a calming breath as she opened the front door to find her ‘date’ stood there looking dashing in a suit and holding a bouquet of flowers.

 

“Lilies?” Caroline questioned, “How did you know they are my favourite?”

 

Jem shrugged, not waiting to divulge the fact that he knew because she had once mentioned that they were her favourite. He handed her the bouquet and took in her appearance.

 

“You look incredible.” He stated, mesmerised by the sight in front of him.

 

Caroline bushed slightly and ducked her head, a small smile gracing her face.

 

“Wait here, I’ll just go put these in water and then we can go.” With that she turned and headed into the kitchen.

 

Jem stood in the doorway, taking in and memorising the surrounding. He noted how relaxing her home looked and how lived in it felt. He wondered briefly what their ‘home’ would look like whilst they lived together.

 

His musings were broken by the re-arrival of Caroline. He still couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked tonight. It was rare for any of the guys to see the feminine side of Caroline. It was only when she had joined them at the pub after an officers only event, that they had the pleasure of seeing her dressed up.

 

Jem held out his arm for Caroline to take as she stepped out of the house. Caroline linked her arm with his for a minute before she turned to lock the door.

 

As she slipped her keys into her bag, she re-linked her arm with his as they walked down the drive to his car.

 

Caroline was pleasantly surprised when he opened the door for her and helped her into the car, before gently closing her door. She reached across and opened his door for him, as her mother had always told her to do.

 

Whilst Jem got into the car, she placed her bag in the front footwell and fastened her seatbelt.

 

As the engine turned on, Bon Jovi’s _It’s my life_ filled the car from the stereo. Luckily, it seemed that Jem wasn’t the type to blast music out whilst driving.

 

“Never pegged you for a Bon Jovi fan.” Caroline admitted. She’d never thought about what sort of music the guys liked.

 

Jem smirked, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

 

“I guess this is what tonight is about.” Caroline mumbled.

 

**AN: Okay, I am leaving this part here. The date is up next, I am just doing some character background design. Any ideas about either of their lives would be a great help.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: So we are soon to start the operation, I have planned it out for quite a few chapters. Hopefully that means my muse will play nice and write for a change.**

 

Chapter 3

 

 

The drive to the restaurant was completed in silence from both parties, the only sound was the music coming from the stereo.

 

Jem manoeuvred the car into the first available car parking space in the restaurant’s small car park. He’d turned the engine off, slipped the keys into his trouser pocket and got out of the car, all before Caroline had even managed to take her seatbelt off.

 

He opened her door as she undid her seatbelt and extended a hand to help her out of the car. She held his hand as she gracefully exited the car, before grabbing her bag from off the seat where she had just placed it.

 

Her hand never left his, even when closing and locking the car up, as they entered the restaurant.

 

The owner, who was waiting at the reservation desk, smiled brightly as the pair entered the restaurant.

 

“Jeremy, good to see you again, It’s been too long.” The owner said as he shook Jem’s free hand, “And who is this beautiful lady?”

 

“This beautiful lady, Lorenzo, is my wife, Caroline.” Jem replied.

 

“Wife?!” Lorenzo exclaimed, “You are a ragazzo molto fortunato ad aver sposato una ragazza così bella.”

 

“Sì, lo sono, non lo sono.” Jem responded back, looking over at Caroline.

 

It shocked Caroline how flawlessly he spoke Italian and the way that he looked at her as he said it.

 

“Have you two been married long?” Lorenzo questioned, as he grabbed two menu’s and showed them to their table.

 

“A couple of months.” Caroline replied, as Jem pulled her chair out for her. She sat down with a smile, “It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind.”

 

They had come up with a date for their ‘marriage’ whilst they had been filling out the relevant documentation on base.

 

“Ah young love.” Lorenzo mused, “I remember how it was with my lovely Camilla.”

 

“How long have you been with her?” Caroline asked.

 

“Una vita intera.” He quickly translated it into English when Caroline looked at him quizzically, “A lifetime.”

 

Caroline smiled brightly, enjoying seeing how his eyes lit up at the mentioning of his wife.

 

“Madeline will be over to take your drinks order shortly.” Lorenzo said, bidding farewell to them.

 

“So, how did you become such good friends with the owner?” Caroline quizzed Jem.

 

“I was one of his first customers back when this place first opened.” Jem replied, “I tend to come here when I need a break from everything. The atmosphere is incredibly relaxing.”

 

“Everything?” Caroline studied him, “You mean work?”

 

“Partly, or trouble with my family, thought that seems to have quietened down recently.” Jem chuckled, “I think my mother might have finally snapped and murdered my father.”

 

“That good, huh?” Caroline smirked, “I know that feeling. My parents do love each other but they fight like cats and dogs sometimes, it doesn’t help when my siblings get involved. Drives me insane.”

 

She looked down at her rings and twisted them nervously, “Probably why I rarely visit home.”

 

Jem nodded, knowing he was the same with going home. However his parents did not love each other, having him had been an attempt at fixing things between them. It hadn’t worked. They just stayed together because it seemed to be easier than going separate ways.

 

“How many siblings have you got?” Jem asked, he had never heard her mention them before.

 

“I have 2 younger brothers and a younger sister.” Caroline responded with a smile, “I do love them but they drive me absolutely insane sometimes.

 

“Ah, probably because you are the eldest.” Jem smiled, “So, what are they like, your famiglia?”

 

“Well, my father is a Anglican minister. My mother is a school teacher at the local comp.” Caroline paused, thinking what to tell him, “My sister, Allison is 15. She’s so bright and beautiful, like a ray of bloody sunshine. The perfect one.”

 

Jem burst out laughing, “You and her don’t get along?”

 

“We do but I hate how my parents compare me to her. They aren’t too keen on the fact I joined the army and that I am away a lot. I think they wanted me to do something more _girly._ ” Caroline replied, “Then you have the boys, Michael is 20 and studying Law at Oxford, show off, and Timothy is 17, in his final year at school. I’m surprised that he hasn’t been expelled yet, the amount of chaos he causes.”

 

“How so?” Jem pursued.

 

“Practical joker. His most recent prank was pouring washing up liquid into the cisterns of all the boys toilets at his school.” Caroline burst out laughing, “I am incredibly proud of him though, he is a smart kid.”

 

“I think I would like him.”

 

“You two would cause me no end of headaches.” Caroline reasoned, “I guess I will have to take you to meet them sometime.”

 

A young woman walked over to their table, interrupting their conversation, “Hi, I’m Madeline, your server for the evening. What drinks can I get for you?”

 

“A glass of water please.” Caroline requested.

 

“I’ll have the same.” Jem added.

 

“You can drink if you want, I’ll drive back.”

 

“No way, I’m driving, I know what you are like behind the wheel and I would rather live to see tomorrow, thank you.”

 

“I’m not that bad.” Caroline gasped playfully.

 

“Please, you’ve terrified grown men with your driving.” Jem bantered back. He remembered the first time he’d got in a car that Caroline was driving. Never again.

 

Madeline laughed along with the couple, “Can I get you any starters?”

 

“Any recommendations darling?” Caroline asked Jem.

 

Jem smiled, “Always. The tomato bruschetta here is amazing.”

 

“Sounds good to me, I adored it when I took mum to Italy years ago.”

 

“So, tomato bruschetta to share?” Madeline asked.

 

“Please.” Caroline said, “and a caprese salad also, thank you.”

 

Madeline nodded and noted it down on the notepad, “Okay, I’ll be back shortly with your water.”

 

Caroline smiled, “Thank you.”

 

With that Madeline walked away, a smile on her face caused by the playful nature of the couple.

 

“So, if I remember rightly, you are an only child.” Caroline said, restarting their conversation.

 

“As far as I know, yeah.” Jem replied, “I wish I had a sibling whilst growing up, would’ve been nice to have someone to spend time with at home.”

 

“And your parents, what are they like?”

 

“My father is a former brigadier, I guess that is where my desire to sign up came from.”

 

“How so?” Caroline questioned.

 

“I guess I wanted to do something to make him proud.”

 

Caroline nodded, noting that information in the back of her mind. She understood the need to made your parents proud and luckily, she had parents who were proud of her accomplishments but just didn’t like the fact she always put herself in danger.

 

“And your mum?” She prompted, “What does she do?”

 

“Housewife.” Jem replied, “She made sure I didn’t end up starving to death or whatnot.”

 

Caroline laughed, “Back at base, you said something about her giving up on the idea of you and marriage.”

 

“Yeah, she keeps trying, along with my grandmothers, to set me up with what they deem _nice young ladies_.” Jem chuckled, “It doesn’t go so well.”

 

“They too much of good girls for you?” Caroline joked, “Too much effort?”

 

“No, just boring.” Jem responded, “I don’t mind a challenge, if it’s the right woman.”

 

There was something in the way that he looked at her as he said that, which made Caroline almost shiver.

 

 _“Surely, I am imagining things._ ” She thought, “ _He doesn’t have those sort of feelings for me, he would’ve said or done something.”_

 

Her musings were paused by Madeline placing their drinks in front of them.

 

“Thanks.” Caroline said as she reached for her glass, before taking a sip.

 

Madeline just smiled at her and walked away.

 

“So, new question,”Jem said, “What’s your favourite film?”

 

“Stardust.” Caroline answered as she placed the glass back on the table, “I adore Claire Danes but I also fell in love with the magic of the movie and the storyline.”

 

“I’ve never seen it, I’m afraid.” Jem responded.

 

“I guess I’ll have to make you watch it sometime.”

 

“Sounds like a date.”

 

Caroline took another sip of water, “What’s yours?”

 

“Die Another Day.” Jem replied.

 

“Now why doesn’t that surprise me,” Caroline joked, “You think of yourself as the SAS’s version of James Bond?”

 

Jem just shrugged his shoulders and laughed.

 

“Ok, favourite film genre?” Caroline asked.

 

“Horror.” Jem immediately answered, “You?”

 

“Same, I adore slasher films.”

 

“I prefer films like The Shining.”

 

“Nah, Scream has to be my all time favourite horror film, easily.”

 

“Those films are so predictable though.” Jem argued.

 

“That is probably why I like them, you know what is going to happen but it still can surprise you.”

 

“Touché.” Jem replied.

 

After their starters arrived and their main courses were ordered, the couple spent their time together playing a version of 20 questions.

 

During that time, Jem found out that Caroline did yoga on an almost daily basis. However, much to his disappointment, she was not going to do it in her underwear, nor let him watch. He was surprised he didn’t get a slap for asking that question. He also learnt that she loved cooking and, really loved to dance.

 

Caroline, on the other hand, learnt that Jem could ski, he went running at least once a day (if possible), and that he also knew how to salsa dance, which lead Caroline to ask.

 

“You learnt that to impress women, didn’t you?”

 

By the time the bill was paid, by Jem after a long battle, they seemed to know each other a lot better. Superficially though. Certain topics had been off limits.

 

They walked out the restaurant hand in hand, laughing about something that had happened recently to one of the men from Blue Troop.

 

Playing a newly wed couple was turning out to be quite easy so far. Both of them had fully relaxed into each other’s company and were thoroughly enjoying the evening. Neither of them wanted the evening to end just yet, nor for reality to come crashing back down on them.

 

“I know it’s late but,” Jem began, an idea forming in his head, “and I can drop you back home if you’d rather, I was thinking we could take a walk down by the river, since it’s such a nice night.”

 

“That sounds perfect actually, it’ll give us a chance to go over our backstory without any interruptions.” Caroline responded.

 

They walked in silence down towards Bridge Street, and along St. Martins Street, which led them across the river and onto a quiet footpath that was sandwiched between the river and Bishop’s Meadow.

 

It was Jem who broke the comfortable silence.

 

So, we got together after Sam’s death?”

 

“Yeah,” Caroline responded, “Grief and alcohol were the main contributing factors.”

 

“But following that, it became a sort of relationship of convenience.”

 

“A sexual relationship of convenience,” Caroline laughed, “Sounds strange but entirely common.”

 

“We became serious quite quickly, however.”

 

“How though, did we go from friends with benefits to us agreeing to a relationship?” Caroline questioned, “Anyone who knows us, however, knows that a relationship is not something we are quick to enter into, if at all.”

 

Jem thought about this for a second, “I found out that a couple of the guys had designs on you, one of which was planning on asking you on a date, and I decided that I didn’t want to lose you to someone else.”

 

Caroline quirked an eyebrow, “Sounds plausible enough.”

 

“And it was me who said I love you first,” Jem smiled, “I seem to be doing all the work in this relationship.”

 

Caroline chuckled at this, “Not my fault if you got there first.”

 

“True, so I told you I love you after the incident at the bioweapons facility.”

 

“It was a research facility not a weapons facility.” Caroline butted in.

 

“Semantics,” Jem replied, “So where did we go from there?”

 

“You moved in with me shortly after that, however, you kept your place for appearances sake.”

 

“Then after the Northern Ireland operation, I realised that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and proposed,” Jem continued, “Which considering our line of work, could be quite short.”

 

“Hence the proposal.” Caroline added.

 

“So, here comes our downfall,” Jem paused, “On a date out, we were spotted by Dempsey, kissing. He called us into the office the following day, along with your CO and informed us we had to end it or face the repercussions.”

 

“Which we decided together that what we had was more important than our careers.”

 

“We’d already applied for a marriage license and received a call informing us of a cancellation at the registry office for later that day.”

 

“So, with Laurel and Ricky as our witnesses, we headed to the registry office to get hitched.”

 

“However, that sealed our fate and you were forced to resign and I was returned to my original regiment.”

 

“I talked to Rachel Stone, an old friend, and got a offer of work at her PMC, which has a base in Richmond.”

 

“And that leads us, nicely, up to our move on Monday.” Jem concluded.

 

 

 

 

**AN: This is where I shall leave this chapter. Hope you have enjoyed it.**

 

**Here are the Italian translations:**

 

**“…ragazzo molto fortunato ad aver sposato una ragazza così bella.” - “…. very lucky boy to have married such a beautiful girl.”**

 

**“Sì, lo sono, non lo sono.” - “Yes I am, aren't I.”**

 


End file.
